My thoughts on the Phillies season.

Results tagged ‘ 200th Career Home Run ’

The Phils starts the 2014 season with an opening day victory as the offense explodes for 14 runs, as they defeat the Rangers, 14-10.

The Phils took the lead in the top of the second as, with two men on, and with two men out, Cody Asche hits an RBI double, knocking in Ryan Howard, who had started the inning off with a walk, then moved up to second base on Dom Brown’s ground out, 4-3, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while sending Carlos Ruiz, who had just walked, up to third base. Two batters later, after Tony Gwynn, Jr. had walked to load the bases, and with still two men out, Ben Revere hits an RBI single, knocking in Ruiz, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead, while moving up a base both Asche and Gwynn. The Phils then took a 6-0 lead as Jimmy Rollins hits a grand-slam home run, his first home run of the season, and his 200th home run of his career, knocking in Asche, Gwynn and Revere. The Rangers got a run back in their half of the second as, with the bases loaded, via a double by Adrian Beltre, an infield single by Alex Rios and a walk by J.P. Arencibia, moving up both runners, and with one man out, Leonys Martin hits an RBI single, knocking in Beltre, making it a 6-1 Phils’ lead, while moving both Rios and Arencibia up a base, leaving the bases loaded. Josh Wilson then made it a 6-4 Phils’ lead as he hits a bases-clearing double, scoring Rios, Arencibia and Martin. The Phils tried to add to their lead in the top of the third as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Howard, who had started the inning off with a single, had moved up to second base on Marlon Byrd’s single, then moved up to third base, while Byrd would stop at second base, on Rangers pitcher Tanner Scheppers’ wild pitch, and with one man out, Howard is thrown out at home plate on a fielder’s choice on Ruiz’s grounder to Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, 6-2, for the inning’s second out, as Byrd remained at second base, while Ruiz is safe at first. The Rangers took the lead in the bottom of the third as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Rios hits a three-run home run, his first home run of the season, knocking in Prince Fielder, who had started the inning off with a single, then stopped at second base on Beltre’s single, and Beltre, who had just singled, giving the Rangers a 7-6 lead. The Phils tied the game up at seven-all in the top of the fourth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Chase Utley hits an RBI single, knocking in Revere, who had earlier singled, then stole second base. The Phils retook the lead in the top of the fifth as, with two men on, and with one man out, pinch-hitter John Mayberry, Jr. hits a two-run double, knocking in Ruiz, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Asche’s walk, and Asche, who had just walked, giving the Phils a 9-7 lead. The Rangers would get a run back in their half of the fifth as, with a man on second, and with two men out, Martin hits an RBI single, scoring Arencibia, who had just singled, making it a 9-8 Phils’ lead. The Phils added to their lead in the top of the sixth as, with two men out, Byrd hits a solo home run, his first home run of the season, giving the Phils a 10-8 lead. The Phils then took an 11-8 lead three batters later as, with two men on, and with two men still out, Asche hits an infield single on a ball that is deflected off of Rangers pitcher Alexi Ogando’s leg, which would allow Brown, who had earlier singled, then stole second base, to score from second base, as Rangers shortstop Andrus commits a fielding error on the deflected ball, as Ruiz, who had earlier walked, would safely reach second base. The Phils then increased their lead two batters later as, with the bases loaded, as Mayberry walked, moving both Ruiz and Asche up a base, and with still two men out, Revere hits a two-run single, scoring Ruiz and Asche, giving the Phils a 13-8 lead, while sending Mayberry on to third base. The Rangers would get a run back in the bottom of the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via a lead-off walk by Beltre, a single by Rios, sending Beltre up to second base, and a walk to pinch-hitter Michael Choice, after B.J. Rosenberg had replaced Jake Diekman, and with nobody out, Arencibia hits into a doubleplay, 6-4-3, as Beltre scored, making it a 13-9 Phils’ lead, as Rios moved up to third base, while Choice is wiped out at second base for the inning’s first out. Two batters later, after Martin walks to put runners on the corners, and with still two men out, pinch-hitter Jim Adduci hits an RBI single, knocking in Rios, making it a 13-10 Phils’ lead, while sending Martin up to second base. After Rosenberg is replaced by Antonio Bastardo, and Shin-Soo Choo is walked, loading the bases as Martin and Adduci both move up a base, the Phils get out of the inning as Andrus hits into a force out, 4-unassisted, as Choo is wiped out at second base for the inning’s final out. The Phils then made it a 14-10 lead in the top of the eighth as, with one man out, Asche hits a solo home run, his first home run of the season. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon pitched a 1-2-3 inning, getting Martin to ground out, 5-3, for the game’s final out.

Cliff Lee (1-0, 14.40) got the win as he pitched five innings, giving up eight runs on eleven hits and a walk, while striking out one. Jake Diekman pitched an inning, plus two batters, giving up two runs on a hit and a walk, while striking out two. B. J. Rosenberg pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up two hits and a walk. Antonio Bastardo pitched an inning and a third, giving up a walk. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Tanner Scheppers received a no-decision as he pitched four innings, giving up seven runs on eighth hits, three walks and a wild pitch, while striking out two. Pedro Figueroa (0-1, 21.60) took the lost as he went one and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs on four hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Alexi Ogando pitched an inning and a third, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out three. Shawn Tolleson pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit, while striking out a batter. Seth Rosin pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter.

The Phils’ offense opened the season with seventeen hits, with Ben Revere (Singles, 3 RBIs), Chase Utley (2 Singles, Double, RBI) and Cody Asche (Single, Double, Home Run, 2 RBIs), all leading the team with three hits each, followed by Ryan Howard (Singles) and Marlon Byrd (Single, Home Run, RBI) with two hits each. Jimmy Rollins (Home Run, 4 RBIs), Dom Brown (Single), Carlos Ruiz (Single) and Pinch-Hitter John Mayberry, Jr. (Double, 2 RBI) had the other four Phils’ hits. The final Phil run came in on an error. The Phils would also have six walks (Howard, Ruiz (2), Asche, Tony Gwynn, Jr., Mayberry) and two stolen bases (Revere (1), Brown (1)) in the game, while the defense would perform a doubleplay.

The Phils (1-0, T-1 NL East) will continue their interleague game road series with the Rangers (0-1, 5 AL West) tomorrow night. The game will be played at Globe Life Park and will begin at 8:05 pm EDT (7:05 pm CDT). The Phils will send to the mound A.J. Burnett (0-0, -.–), who will be trying to lead the Phils to a 2-0 record. The Rangers will counter with Martin Perez (0-0, -.–), who will be trying to lead the Rangers to their first victory of 2014. The Phils will be hoping that the offense will continue to hit, while the pitching starts to improve over this afternoon’s performance.

The Phils’ offense is let down by the pitching as they lose their opening day game with their NL East rival, the Braves, 7-5.

The Braves took the lead in the bottom of the first as, with one man on, and with two men out, Freddie Freeman hits a two-run bomb to right field, his first home run of the season, knocking in Jason Heyward, who had earlier walked, giving the Braves a 2-0 lead. The Braves added to their lead in the second as Dan Uggla started off the bottom of the second with a solo home run, his first home run of the season, giving the Braves a 3-0 lead. The Braves then made it a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the third as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Freeman hits an RBI single, scoring Andrleton Simmons, who had started the inning off with a double, then stopped at third base on Justin Upton’s fly out to right. The Phils then got on the board in the top of the fourth as Chase Utley started the inning off with a solo shot to straight center field, his first home run of the season, and the 200th home run of his career, cutting the Braves’ lead to 4-1. The Phils would make it a 4-3 Braves’ lead in the top of the fifth as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Cole Hamels, a walk by Ben Revere, moving Hamels up to second base, and a single by Jimmy Rollins, sending Hamels on to third base and Revere up to second base, and with one man out, Utley hits a two-run single, knocking in Hamels and Revere, while sending Rollins on to third base, beating the throw, before moving up to second base on the throw. After Braves’ manager Freddie Gonzalez replaces starter Tim Hudson with Luis Avilan, Avilan stops the damage by first striking out Ryan Howard for the inning’s second out, and after intentionally walking Michael Young to reload the bases, gets Dom Brown to ground out softly, 4-3, for the inning’s final out. The Braves would get a run back in their half of the fifth as, with one man out, Upton hits a solo home run, his first home run of the season, giving the Braves a 5-3 lead. The Braves increased their lead in bottom of the sixth as, with runners on second and third, and with nobody out, Gerald Laird hits an RBI single, knocking in Uggla, who had started the inning off with a walk, then stopped at third base on Chris Johnson’s double, giving the Braves a 6-3 lead, while sending Johnson, who had just singled, on to third base. The Braves then took a 7-3 lead as pinch-hitter Reed Johnson hits into a 1-6-3 double play, wiping out Laird at second base for the inning’s first out, scoring C. Johnson, who beat Howard’s wide and late throw to the plate. The Phils got one run back in the top of the seventh as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Howard hits an RBI ground out, three-unassisted, knocking in Utley, who had just tripled, making it a 7-4 Braves’ lead. The Phils then cut the Braves’ lead down to 7-5 in the top of the eighth as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Erik Kratz hits an RBI single, knocking in John Mayberry, Jr., who had earlier doubled, then moved up to third on Jordan Walden’s wild pitch. That would be the final score as Craig Kimbrel would come in and collect his first save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, getting Howard to fly out for the game’s final out.

Cole Hamels (0-1, 9.00) took the lost as he went five innings, giving up five runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out five. Chad Durbin pitched to three batters, getting none of them out, as he gave up two runs on two hits and a walk. Jeremy Horst pitched two innings, as he gave up a hit, while striking out two. Philippe Aumont pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, while striking out a batter. Tim Hudson received a no-decision as he went four and a third-innings, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out a batter. Luis Avilan (0-1, 0.00) picked up the win as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up an intentional walk, while striking out a batter. Eric O’Flaherty pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Jordan Walden recorded his first hold of the year as he threw an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a wild pitch, while striking out a batter. Craig Kimbrel recorded his first save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out a batter.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Chase Utley (Single, Triple, Home Run, 3 RBIs) leading the team with three hits, being a double short of hitting the cycle. Ben Revere (Single), Jimmy Rollins (Single), Dom Brown (Single), John Mayberry, Jr. (Double), Erik Kratz (Single, RBI) and Cole Hamels (Single) had the other seven Phils’ hits. Ryan Howard knocked in the final Phil’s run with a ground out. The Phils also had a four walks (Revere, Young (2), Brown) and a stolen base (Revere (1)) in the ballgame.

The Phils (0-1, T-4th) will continue their three games series with the Braves (1-0, T-1st) with a night game tomorrow night at Turner Field. The game is to start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Roy Halladay (0-0, -.–) who is coming off a bad 2012, and a so-so spring. Halladay and the Phils both hope that he’ll rebound from last season. The Braves will counter with Paul Malholm (0-0, -.–) who is coming off a so-so 2012 season between the Cubs and the Braves. He hopes to pitch better this season. The Phils will be trying to even up the series, while hoping that the old Doc will return.

A combine one-hit shutout by Jamie Moyer and the bullpen, and three home runs from Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard starts off the Phils’ second half with a win, as they defeat the second place Marlins, 4-0. The victory increased the Phils’ lead in the NL East to five games, guaranteeing that they’ll leave Florida with the lead by the time the four-games series is over.

The Phils took the lead in the second as, with one man on, and nobody out, Raul Ibanez hits a two-run home run, his twenty-third home run of the season, scoring Ryan Howard, who had earlier singled, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead. The Phils increased their lead in the fourth as, with one man out, Ibanez hits a solo home run, his second home run of the night, and his twenty-fourth home run of the season, making it a 3-0 Phils’ lead. In the sixth, the Phils made it 4-0 as, with one man out, Ryan Howard launched a solo shot of his own, his twenty-three home run of the season, and the 200th home run of his career, becoming the fastest man to do so as he broke Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner’s old record of doing so in his 706th game, as he hit his in his 658th career game. Meanwhile, Jamie Moyer was having an easy time with the Marlins, only getting into trouble in the Marlins’ fifth, as he gave up a lead-off single to Jorge Cantu, and a one-out walk to Ronny Paulino, moving Cantu to second base. But, he would then get out of the inning by getting Cody Ross to foul out to the catcher, 2-unassisted, for the inning’s second out, and then getting Brett Carroll to hit into a force out, 5-4, wiping out Paulino at second base. The Marlins would never threathen again after that, as Moyer handed the ball over to Ryan Madson, who pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning, and who in turned handed the ball to J.C. Romero, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, preserving both the one-hitter and the shut out.

Jamie Moyer got the win, as he pitched seven very strong innings, giving up only a single and a walk, while striking out four. His record is now 9-6, as he won his 255th career victory, placing him in 41st place on the All-Time Wins List, with a 5.58 ERA. Ryan Madson and J.C. Romero combined for two scoreless innings, as they got out all six men that they would face, striking out one batter (Romero) between them. Chris Volstad took the lost, as he pitched six innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out five. His record is now 6-9 with an ERA of 4.53. Luis Ayala, Brendan Donnelly and Kiko Calero all combined for three scoreless innings, as they gave up three hits, (one hit apiece) and one walk (Donnelly), while they struck out five batters (Ayala (1), Donnelly (2), Calero (2)).

The Phillies would collect ten hits in the game, with both Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez both leading the way with two hits apiece, with Howard’s hits being a single and a solo home run, the 200th of his career, and Ibanez’s hits being a two-run home run and a solo home run, accounting for all of the Phils’ runs. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Pedro Feliz, Carlos Ruiz, and Jamie Moyer collected the other six Phils’ hits. The Phils start the second half on a winning note, as they continue to be the best road team in the majors while they increased their winning streak to six games.

The Phillies (49-38, 1st) continue their four-games series with the Marlins (46-45, 2nd) tonight. The game will be played at Land Shark Stadium and will start at 7:10 pm. The Phils starter will be Cole Hamels (5-5, 4.87), who is coming off of a no-decision against the Pirates on July 11, as he pitched six innings, giving up five runs on seven hits, as he struck out six, in the Phils’ dramatic 8-7 come from behind win. He will once again try to show that he is indeed the ace of the Phillies rotation. The Marlins will oppose with Ricky Nolasco (6-7, 5.76), who is coming off a lost against the D-backs on July 10, as he pitched six innings, giving up seven runs on nine hits and a walk, while he struck out eight, in the Marlins’ 8-0 lost. He will be trying to keep the Marlins from trailing the Phils even further in the pennant race. The Phils will be seeing if they can increase their winning streak to seven games while increasing their lead in the NL East to six full games, thus making things easier for them for the rest of the season.

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.